Is a Degree Necessary for a Computer Career?

Is a Degree Necessary for a Computer Career?

If you are thinking of pursuing a computer career, you can rest assured that you will have lots of employment opportunities after you have successfully attained the necessary qualifications. These days, almost every company, organization, institution, and government department need people with computer expertise, and many of them hire full time computer experts. A career in computing can be very interesting and challenging, and it offers a high level of fulfillment for those who are able to perform their duties well. It is also financially rewarding, and you can earn a six figure annual income if you have extensive expertise and experience in your specialization.

Most people think that they need a college degree to pursue a computer career, but this is not true. While a majority of computer experts have at least a Bachelor’s degree, it is possible to have a successful computer career without a degree. In fact, some of the most famous people in the computer industry did not complete their college education, and they have managed to amass personal fortunes worth billions of dollars. These icons of the computer industry include Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, and Mark Zuckerberg. Due to the achievements of these great innovators, the field of computing has been recognized as one of the fields that people can excel in without a degree. True enough, many lesser known computer experts have managed to achieve great success and live a comfortable life without a complete college education.

However, the success stories of the famous computer experts mentioned above should only serve as inspiration for aspiring computer experts. Their innovations were more possible in those times when there was much to be discovered in the field of computing. Due to the rapid advancement of computer technology, there is presently very limited opportunity for someone to come up with a truly groundbreaking innovation. Therefore, it is less likely that such great success stories will happen again. In reality, if you want to have a successful computer career, you will have a better chance of reaching your goal if you have a degree in computer science or other computer-related fields. Nowadays, many large companies make it a point to hire only computer experts who have completed college, and your career options will be limitless if you manage to earn a degree.

There are many different specializations in the computer industry, and each specialization has its own sub-specializations. Some of the more common computer specializations include computer programming, information systems, information security, networking, computer engineering, web development, communications, computer graphics, computer forensics, and others. These specializations have very different responsibilities, and they can range from developing software to designing websites. You can find colleges and universities that offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree programs for every computer specialization.

Salaries for computer experts vary according to experience and specialization, but they are generally high compared to people in many other industries. For instance, computer support specialists earn an average annual income of about $44,000, while information systems managers can make an average of about $107,000 a year.